New Lenox Fire Station #2, which closed March 30, 2018, but reopened after the village board agreed in April to loan $450,000 to the Fire Protection District, would have been at risk of closing again if voters failed to support a ballot measure tax hike.

New Lenox Fire Station #2, which closed March 30, 2018, but reopened after the village board agreed in April to loan $450,000 to the Fire Protection District, would have been at risk of closing again if voters failed to support a ballot measure tax hike. (Susan DeMar Lafferty/Daily Southtown)

The sixth time might be a charm for the New Lenox Fire Protection District.

With 95 percent of precincts reporting Tuesday night, a referendum asking New Lenox residents to approve a tax increase that would generate enough revenue to halt the closure of a fire station has received more than 61 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results.

Assuming the results hold up, Deputy Chief Dan Turner said he was ecstatic that residents came out Tuesday to support the fire department.

“People call us to help them and this is a very important time where we needed the proud Americans to help us,” he said. “This gives us the ability to grow with the community. As more people move to New Lenox to raise a family, there’s going to be more requests for service.”

The tax hike referendum, which has failed five times in 13 years, including earlier this year, seeks a tax rate increase from 38 cents to 59 cents per $100 of equalized assessed valuation, which comes out to about $70 per year added to the tax bill of a $100,000 home.

After a similar referendum narrowly failed this spring, the fire protection district was forced to close its station on North Cedar Road and reduce personnel. The station reopened a few weeks later, after the village loaned $450,000 to the fire protection district, but the money will only keep the station open until the end of the year.

If Tuesday’s referendum passes, Turner said it would allow the fire protection district to keep manpower “where it was, where it needs to be.”

Another tax hike referendum with implications for village services also is holding onto slim support in Frankfort, according to unofficial returns.

With all precincts reporting, a question asking Frankfort residents to buoy stagnant sales tax revenues by approving a bump in sales tax from 7 percent to 8 percent, effective July 2019, has 53 percent of the vote, unofficial results show.

If the increase is approved, village officials project an additional $2.8 million in revenues for municipal operations, police officers and infrastructure improvements.

If the measure fails, services will be cut, Mayor Jim Holland has said.

Also in Frankfort, voters appear to on the verge of reducing the number of park district commissioners from seven to five. With all precincts reporting, a ballot measure asking if residents wish to eliminate two commissioner positions has received nearly three-quarters of the vote, unofficial results show.

If the referendum passes, it would impact the district’s April 2019 board election.

Rather than candidates vying for three open seats in that race, they would be competing for only one, executive director Gina Hassett said.

A ballot measure in unincorporated Lockport Township that could help control garbage collection costs for residents is receiving nearly two-to-one support from voters, with 65 percent of precincts reporting, according to unofficial returns.

If approved, the referendum would authorize township trustees to contract for their garbage and recycling services. Currently, homeowners must contract for such services on their own, meaning that costs vary widely. If the referendum passes, it would create uniform rates for all unincorporated Lockport homeowners, officials said.

Despite a number of ballot measures that appear likely to pass, based on unofficial early returns, there also are some staring down possible defeat.

Voters in Tinley Park appear to be rejecting a park district referendum asking for an increase of the corporate tax rate by 7 cents per $100 of equalized assessed valuation. Officials said if the measure passed, it would represent a “wash” for residents, as the district plans to retire outstanding debt at the end of 2019 and 2020. With the majority of precincts reporting, however, the referendum has received only one-quarter of the vote, according to unofficial returns.

The White Oak Library District, which operates branches in Lockport, Crest Hill and Romeoville, also seeks passage of a tax hike that has failed multiple times, including earlier this year, and again appears to be on the verge of defeat, according to unofficial returns.

With nearly 90 percent of precincts reporting, the item, which asks voters to approve a tax rate increase of 3 cents per $100 of equalized assessed valuation, has only 40 percent support, unofficial results show.

The district said that if the measure passes, it would increase hours, expand home delivery and create a digital media lab with the increased revenues generated from a tax increase.

In Lemont, a community of about 17,000 people located in Will, Cook and DuPage counties, just over 40 percent of voters have supported a question that would grant the village home rule status, according to unofficial returns from 8 of 14 precincts.

If Lemont were to become a home rule community, its officials want to raise the sales tax rate 1 percent and may impose fees on video gaming terminals in an effort to create revenue for infrastructure projects, village administrator George Schafer said.